School Daze
The debut from our new High School Basketball columnist, Aggrey Sam
By Aggrey Sam
For about the last 10 years of my life, I’ve only seriously followed three sports: high school basketball, college basketball, the NBA and everything else (mostly football and boxing). College and pro basketball are easy enough to keep track of just by watching Inside the NBA or listening to Dick Vitale ramble for five minutes sometime between November and the Final Four, but high school basketball is a different story. Between AAU ball, sneaker camps, the recruiting game and the actual high school season, you gotta pay attention 365 days a year to know what’s going on. By no means do I consider myself an expert in the field, but as someone who talks to coaches, writes about and works with prep ballplayers and watches a good number of them play, hopefully this will help keep you plugged in as the high school season gets underway. I live in Philadelphia and while there’s a lot of good talent here, I don’t always get the word about kids in other cities.. E-mail me or hit the message boards about sleepers in your hood or any other talented ballers you’ve seen. If you saw a game featuring a marquee player or team, let me know. I wanna know what players or teams people or talking about in your city. I won’t be able to show love to everybody, but I’ll try to highlight some of the more-deserving players, teams and other high school-related stuff we don’t always have room for in the mag.
Don’t Sleep On…
Here are a few sleepers to keep your eye on this season. This is something I’ll get back to every once in a while, so feel free to hit me up about players who are putting in work.
–Jason Henry, 6-8 wing, Light of the World Christian Academy (GA)
Described by his coach, Mack Cleveland, as “a T-Mac/Penny Hardaway-type,” Henry is pushing top-25 status in most senior rankings. A product of West Memphis, Ark., but now at prep school in the ATL, Henry might end up being ranked even higher than that. Playing with a low-profile AAU team and skipping out on the sneaker camps didn’t help his rep nationally, but his impressive skillset, smooth athleticism and a 30+ ppg scoring average have recruiting experts buzzing and big-time coaches showing love
–Angelo Johnson, 5-11 pg, Stoneridge Prep (CA)
The Minneapolis native put his name on the map at last month’s National Prep School Invitational in Massachusetts. A stocky penetrator in the mold of Dominic James, no one could stay in front of him at the event, which had about 20 of the nation’s elite prep schools in attendance. One observer comments, “He reminds me of Josh Pace from Syracuse with all his floaters.” More of a mid-range shooter than three-point threat, Johnson also showed he could get to the cup and score over the trees (“He kinds reminds me of Josh Pace from Syracuse with his floater,” said one observer) or create for his Cali prep school teammates with equal effectiveness.
–Nayal “Mac” Koshwal, 6-9 combo forward, Boys to Men Academy (IL)
Even at a powerful 240 pounds, Koshwal is successfully making the transition from a true post player to one who can step outside and play on the wing. His teammate at BTMA, in Chitown, point guard Raymond “Doodles” Sims, recounts a recent jaw-dropping play Mac made: “Against South Kent (a Connecticut prep school) this weekend, he got a rebound and took it coast to coast, down the middle of the lane. This kid tried to take a charge on him, and he took off from the dotted line and dunked it.” I wouldn’t call Koshwal, who’s staying at home to attend DePaul next year, a sleeper, but with his combination of power and wing skills, he’s a kid we all need to get more familiar with.
–Brad Wanamaker, 6-4 wing, Roman Catholic HS (PA)
Living in Philly, I’ve seen Brad develop into quite a prospect over the past few years. A 210-pound power guard headed to Pitt, his defense, intensity and rugged driving skills epitomize the prototype Philadelphia ballplayer. “Brad is the type of kid that just gets it done. He goes hard and creates his own shot the best part of his game is his ability to get to the rim,” says former teammate Mike Ringgold, now prepping at the Winchendon School. “Some guys do one thing real well, but Brad does everything at least OK. Don’t sleep on my man; he will dunk on you.”
21 Responses to “School Daze”
Dec.5 at 4:17 pm
Shiz says:
WAAAAAAAAKEEE UUUUUUUUUUUP!!! Just paying Homage to the Original School Daze…Wake up…
Dec.5 at 4:56 pm
AP says:
Oakhill is coming to Charlotte to play @ BETcats arena later in the month to face off against some regional high schools….who should i look out for on that squad?
Dec.5 at 5:03 pm
Ken says:
There’s a school called Boyz 2 Men academy? Does the basketball team perform its own halftime shows? Oh, and you might want to mention that one observer noted that Angelo’s game reminds him of Josh Pace from Syracuse. Just in case anybody missed that.
Dec.5 at 6:01 pm
a. sam says:
As usual, Oak Hill is loaded this season. Their backcourt, featuring senior combo guard Nolan Smith (signed with Duke), junior point guard Brandon Jennings (recently verbally committed to USC) and senior wing Alex Legion (Michigan) is probably the best perimeter unit in the nation. On the inside, look out for junior big man Howard Thompkins and FSU-bound Julian Vaughn. Sophomore wing Terrance Boyd is gonna be nice, too.
Dec.5 at 6:15 pm
a. sam says:
Ken, you’re a funny guy. BTMA is actually a rising power in the prep school ranks. In addition to Mac, they have at least eight other D1 prospects that I’ve heard about, including Clarence Holloway, a 7-1 kid headed to Louisville. The coach there is Loren Jackson, formerly of Julian HS in the Chi, where he coached ex-Dukie Sean Dockery, among others. Good catch on the “observer” thing. I might wanna read over my stuff a little closer before I send it in next time.
Dec.5 at 6:34 pm
shelley bunton says:
Do an article on Ben Wilson the Simeon High school star that was killed on Nov 20,1985 by gang violence.
Dec.5 at 10:24 pm
scott says:
aggrey…I hope you will keep us updated on the big names in the 2007 class. Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, OJ Mayo, Eric Gordon, and Bill Walker. Nice article.
Dec.6 at 10:25 am
Ballin says:
Aggrey, please contact me at: bestscout217@yahoo.com. Would like to provide you with info on a nationally ranked freshman already listed in Slam Punks class 2010.
Dec.6 at 11:30 am
Tyler Hunt says:
Hey im from VA around Oak Hill and I watch every home game when they come down mostly watch out for Terrance Boyd, Alex Legion, Nolan Smith, Howard Thompkins, Julian Vaughn, and Brandon Jennings. Jennings is a sick point guard prolly one of the top in the nation. Mitchell Anderson is the defensive stopper and has some electric hops and nice blocks.
Dec.7 at 12:44 am
Bernie from Phoenix says:
Watch out for Artesia H.S. in Lakewood, CA. They’ve got senior James Harden (signed w/ ASU), junior Malik Story (undecided), and sophomore big man Renardo Sidney (undecided). I would love to see Artesia and Oak Hill play against each other. That would be a great game.
Dec.7 at 2:50 pm
a. sam says:
Bernie: I saw Artesia play a couple summers back, when Harden was a rising junior and Story was a rising soph. Harden really impressed me with his D and how he got to the rack, while Story just shot the lights out. In fact, he committed to USC after his freshmen season, but it was so long ago, it might have slipped under the radar. I’m interested to see how Sidney fits in, considering he’s never played high school ball. To me, AAU is a different animal…
Dec.8 at 1:25 am
Bernie from Phoenix says:
Aggrey: I’m friends with the current head coach at Artesia - he’s married to one of my best friends from high school. Anyways, Sidney has fit in real well so far. They just won a tournament down in Redondo Beach, CA fairly convincingly. They gave up 27 in the first quarter in the tournament finale, than clamped down on defense and only gave up 30 the last 3 quarters combined. They’re scheduled to travel to VA to play O.J. Mayo’s squad later this year. Be on the lookout for that game.
Dec.17 at 9:51 pm
holden smith says:
oak hill will blow out ever body they play in charlotte
Dec.19 at 1:16 pm
Andre says:
OJ Mayo is averging over 30 pts/game and Huntington is 3-0 scoring in the 100’s each game. Can’t wait to see their televised game on espn
Dec.25 at 8:50 am
Putt says:
Watch out for Devon Saddler a rising soph. from Aberdeen, Md. He is a combo guard that can do it all, so if your in the Baltimore area check this kid out.
Jan.7 at 1:00 pm
CCB says:
Everyone focuses on the big names but I think you have to spend a little time on the kids who can’t afford AAU and get overlooked but still play the game in an eye opening way. That is what I have been focused on with my site which operates out of the Memphis Area www.centercourtbasketball.com. I get tapes on a lot of kids from outside of the area as well. You won’t find the “common knowledge” kids on my site but you will find some pretty talented student-athletes.
Jan.9 at 2:59 pm
Smoov112 says:
yo oak hill is tha stuff i must admit. they playin Liberty High this year, they won state in tennesse last year. they dont really have any standout out players,but they are a great team. last year at state we were up 15 in tha fourth and they came back ta beat us and we were favored to atleast make tha finals. i aint sayin they gonna beat oakhill but if they play like they can it’ll aleast be a contest.
Jan.21 at 12:46 pm
Delaney Rudd says:
I played with wake forrest,and with the Jazz i have trained a kid named P.J. Taylor scince he was 13 years old and on the real dude this is the most underrated point guard in the nation he is now at IMG in Braneton Florida doing a prep year and doing great look for him at this months Southern Showcase in Mississippi and tell me what you think
Mar.17 at 1:28 pm
E.Hood says:
Hey Sam, Checkout Nurideen Lindsey from Brook. “The House that Wilt built”. He led the State and Pub in scoring at 25.6pts per And is the best thing in the State since Bean! He is a true Soph! Does it all , And very exciting to watch.
Apr.11 at 4:38 pm
a. sam says:
E. Hood: Nore is definitely tough. I’ve seen him see more than a few times and he’s one of the better sophomore scorers I’ve seen play. I’d like to see him develop his point guard skills a little more, but he gets buckets with ease. I’ll see him tonight at Conshy. Is that link on your name the team you play for now? For anybody who reads this, E. Hood was once the next best thing to come out of Philly. Good to see you giving back to the kids.
Jun.7 at 6:37 pm
Deja Aggrey says:
I know some fresh young talent you got to ceheck out in Seattle. Yes seattle! if you didnt know seattle has been producing some NBA Playas. My Lil cousin Mike Ladd of Rainier Beach High school is doing some big things. The boy is about 6′4 but he can jump out the gym.And he has a deadly 3 point shot Rainier Beach has been the basketball powerhouse for years in seattle. The Likes of Doug Christie,Jamal Crawford,and Nate Robinson just to name the few that are in the NBA. But in College Basketball there is Terrance Williams of Louievill, Lodrick Stewart of USC, Rodrict Stewart of Kansas (lod and Rod are twins)and Jacqua Williams of Georgia Tech ( the girl can seriously ball no to mention she is fast as hell). Rainier Beach boy basketball team was ranked number one in the nation 02 or 03. ( oh yeah are you ghanaian? we have the same last name. Aggrey is not that common)